History of Nevandaar
There has been many events throughout Nevandaar's history. The most important events, such as the ages of creation, the WOA, and the Elemental Devastation are detailed below. The Ages of Nevandaar: The ages are recorded in BH - meaning before History, thought to be in entire millennia since past. BW - before the War, recorded in the same format we record the year BC. And finally PW - or Post War, recorded in the same format we record the year AD. The Age of the Void - BH During the Age of the Void, there was nothing. This is the first point where existence manifested itself, through the sheer will of the Increate. Once it has willed itself into existence, the Increate then created the Fundamentals and the Progenitors to form the worlds of its domain. The Age of Creation - BH The Fundamentals scour the ends of the universe, creating planet after planet, until they come to create the world of Nevandaar. They create all things physical: plants, animals, continents, the oceans etc. The only thing that the Fundamentals to not create - not add to Nevandaar - is the essence of magic, nor intelligent life. The Fundamentals also create the Positive and Negative Energy Planes. The Age of Awakening - BH The Progenitors arrive at the world Nevandaar, many years after the Fundamentals created it. The Progenitors link the world to the other transitive planes of existence: such as the Terrene Plane, and the astral plane. The Progentiors then bring magic to the world of Nevandaar, and create its two 'echo' planes. The Feywild, and the Exanimate Plane. Before they leave, the Progenitors create the Titans, to look after the world. The Age of Titans - BH The Titans, the world’s first intelligent beings, are born. They in turn create the Forge of Creation on their island home which they aptly name, Titan. Using the Forge of Creation, a titan creates the worlds first race, Giants. But, the creation of a new race requires a godly amount of power, and the titan sacrifices himself to do so. Over the coming years, the titans slowly kill themselves off so as to add more and more races to the world of Nevandaar. The races the titans created are as follows: Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Bugbear, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Lizardfolk, Orc, Tabaxi, Tortle, Goliath, Centaur and Minotaur The Age of Dragons - 2,823 BW Dragons were released unto the world. They had been set to slumber since the age of Awakening, but finally broke free of their early bonds and begun to travel across the lands. The Dragons were cruel, and they spent their time ruling and dominating mortals from the skies. They created Dragonborn and Kobolds to serve as their chosen and respected people. During this time, the most dominant race in the world was Dragonborn and Kobold. Even today Dragonborn ruins can be found throughout the various lands. The Age of Elves - 1,642 BW The last ‘racial’ age, the age of Elves was a time for discovery across all of Nevandaar. With the dragon threat dealt with (for now), Elves journeyed the world, plotting it and establishing civilisations across all it's corners. Elves continued to be the dominant race across Nevandaar until the War of Attrition which nearly sundered their race in two. The Elemental Devastation - 22 BW A war between the elemental planes ended decisively when a battle that was held in the Elemental Sovereign, somehow caused such arcane devastation that a portal was opened into the Material Plane. Aarakockra from the plane of Air, Triton from the Plane of Water, and Genasi from all four planes broke forth into our world. The Devastation concluded shortly, and these races who found themselves stranded on the Material Plane, soon became established civilisations, forsaking their ways to create new lives here on the Material Plane. The Devastation caught the attention of the Gith who made their way slowly into the material plane over time. The War of Attrition - 0 PW A war that spanned over a millennia. Following the death of the titans, mortal men and women who had attained copious amounts of power banded together to bring down the Old Gods. It was not so much a war of good vs evil, as it was a war of old vs new. Most races had a side. Continents were shattered, and gods were created and destroyed - old and new - over the next 1,140 years. During this time, Aasimar, Kenku, Yuan-Ti, Changlings, Shifters and Simic Hybrids were made or discovered. The Age of Reclamation - 1,140 PW The current age of Nevandaar. The Old Gods that were a threat to the lives of all have been put down, others surrendered. The pantheon is now a mix of old and new gods. The world, now that the WOA is over, has started to bloom once more. And it appears, for the first time in a while, that peace, is on the horizon. The War of Attrition: The War of Attrition, referred to as the WOA from here on, was a war that spanned 1,140 years. During this time, the Old and New Gods waged wars over the Material Plane, to determine who would rule over it. The New Gods: The New Gods were mortals given divine power by the Highfather, this raised them to the level of ascended mortals, but not to godhood. During the WOA, when an Old God was Slain by (or conceded to) a New God, their divine power and domain was passed onto the New God. This is why all New Gods have a somewhat material, and understandable form. They are made from Humans, Centaur, Elves and Dwarves instead of strange, otherworldly abnormalities. The Old Gods: The Old Gods were the gods that had their divine powers bestowed onto them by the Progenitors in ages long since past. They, up until the end of the WOA, established the Pantheon of Nevandaar. Many Old Gods did not engage in the WOA, and those that conceded and agreed to the New Gods terms were spared, and allowed to retain their domains. The Old Gods have strange physical forms and manifestations, from a Pheonix, to a titanic Scarab Beetle, to a Half-Consumed Corpse that is bound by chains. Old Versus New - Not Good Versus Evil The WOA was not a war between the forces of the good New Gods and the evil Old Gods. Instead, it was simply Nevandaar deciding that the old ways, the ways that were steeped in conformity, and sacrifice, were no longer welcome in their world. The New Gods represent individualism, freedom and egalitarian principles. Whilst the Old Gods represented conformity, community, and survival of the fittest. The Dawn of War: The war of attrition was begat 22 years after the Elemental Devastation. The Highfather, who saw his fellow old-gods influences causing conformity, war and sacrifice in their name had had enough. He imbued a number of mortals with a powerful divine Boon, which ascended them to the levels of godhood. These mortals became known as the New Gods. Along with the Highfather, the New Gods waged a war against the Old Gods, who they no longer deemed suitable to rule over Nevandaar. The Everlasting War: It was unknown how the WOA would rage for. By the end of its thousandth year, much of the worlds population was devastated. It is estimated by loremasters that following the war, over 50% of the sentient populace had been killed. Entire races were wiped from history, new ones were created, and eventually, after 1,140 years, the WOA ended. The New Gods were victorious. The Straw that Broke the Camels Back: There were two events during the WOA that shifted the allegiances of those waging it. The first was the Cinderfall Incident, and the second was the Highfathers death. Both of these events turned much of the public opinion from supporting the Old Gods, and the proven ways, to supporting the New Gods, and their progressive ways. The Cinderfall Incident involved a collection of Elves, under orders from the Old Gods, burning an entire woodland continent to the ground, and committing in the space of a single afternoon, the equivalent of genocide. This turned many heads, several Old Gods realised their errors and joined the New Gods. A number of races also changed their allegiances following the event. The Highfathers Death came during 1,112 PW. The Highfather was suddenly beset on by the armies of the Seven Hells. An Old God had sold his soul to the Leader of the Seven Hells in hopes that every demon in existence was enough to bring down the Highfather. It was. As the news of the Highfathers death spread, many of the Old Gods again changed sides to join the New Gods, understanding that bringing the hordes of hell into the equation was too far. Finally, the Eternal Citadel, confident in knowing that the New Gods represented the good of the world, and the Old Gods the evil of it, sent their Aasimars, Devas, and other angels in aid of the New Gods. With the combined forces of the New Gods, several turncoat Old Gods, and the forces of the Eternal Citadel, the New Gods defeated the final Old God and claimed the material plane in their name. The Elemental Devastation The Elemental Devastation was an event that occurred in 22BW. Planar Warfare: The 4 Elemental Planes, the Plane of Fire, the Plane of Air, the Plane of Water and the Plane of Earth have been locked in an invisible conflict since the dawn of time. Ever since Osgiliath, the Progenitor of the elements and of natural magics created them, they have all vied for dominance. It is nor so much a war as it is a way of life. Elementals from foreign planes hate one another with a deep and burning passion. To the extent that when Planar Travel was discovered by the nations of Efreeti, or by the Aarakocra or Tritons, they immediately set to work attempting to take each other over. The Para-Quasi Elemental Planes were the first ports of call. But soon the wars spilled over into the remaining Inner Planes. Eventually, the war concluded on a final battle within the Primordial Sovereign (the elemental chaos) where all 4 elemental armies marched upon each other. The sheer arcane, and elemental destruction that occurred tore upon a rift between the inner planes and the Material plane, instantly incinerating, liquifying, or otherwise simply phasing the armies of the inner planes out of existence. A few scattered souls survived the Devastation. These included the Triton, Aarakockra and Genasi. With no way to return to their own planes, the elemental races slowly but surely built up their own minor civilisations on Nevandaar. All Eyes on the Prime Material: Following the Elemental Devastation, many of the outer and inner planes began to lust after the Material Plane. It held many races, lands, artefacts, unique magics, and all manner of other things that the Inner and Outer Planes had no access to. It is thought that the Elemental Devastation was an event that signified the importance of the Material Plane, as the centre of the known universe. Following the Elemental Devastation, beings from the Outer Planes such as Fiends, Angels, Elementals, and Aberrations started to converge on the Prime Material. The Gith, long known protectors of the Astral Plane, were also drawn into the Material Plane following the Elemental Devastation.